Miriam Makeba Essay
During Black History month, the widely known African American pioneers are always acknowledged; Such as the indomitable Martin Luther King Jr., the defiant Rosa Parks, the “eye for an eye” Malcom X, and the list goes on. There are countless African Americans who are not widely recognized that made a sacrifice for what they believed in. Of all African Americans who have made significant achievements and contributions to our society, Miriam Makeba inspires me.
Miriam Makeba, widely known as “Mama Africa”, was a civil rights activist and a South African singer. Miriam was born on March 4, 1932, in Johannesburg. As any other African born during this time, Miriam’s life was not all “flowers and daisies.” At 18 days old, she was imprisoned with …show more content…
She didn’t let her “trials and tribulations” carve her path. Despite being kicked out of South Africa for more than 20 years, she decided to tour various countries. Miriam’s fortitude is an example of how every black girl’s demeanor should be. Throughout the years, black girls have been taunted for their hair types, styles, skin color, lips, etc. Many of my fellow beautiful black sisters lack the appropriate amount of self-esteem. From my past experiences, transitioning my perm hair to its natural state was not always supported. I would often hear the “natural ain’t for everybody” phrase, which made me doubt my natural journey as well. Instead of listening to the negativity, I continued my natural hair journey and earned my beautiful curls. Miriam embraced her complexion and Afro, she performed on stage without makeup; this gestu re is a sign of great confidence. She used her God given talent to bring awareness to racial equality, an issue that is still at hand, happening in her native land. Miriam’s spirit is what WE need in this generation; WE need the unity, WE need the push! This matters so much because it all starts with US, the young generation of the black community. We need to show the world what we can be and not what they expect us to be. We need to show the world that we are striving for black excellence, that we are aiming above our highest
Miriam Makeba, widely known as “Mama Africa”, was a civil rights activist and a South African singer. Miriam was born on March 4, 1932, in Johannesburg. As any other African born during this time, Miriam’s life was not all “flowers and daisies.” At 18 days old, she was imprisoned with …show more content…
She didn’t let her “trials and tribulations” carve her path. Despite being kicked out of South Africa for more than 20 years, she decided to tour various countries. Miriam’s fortitude is an example of how every black girl’s demeanor should be. Throughout the years, black girls have been taunted for their hair types, styles, skin color, lips, etc. Many of my fellow beautiful black sisters lack the appropriate amount of self-esteem. From my past experiences, transitioning my perm hair to its natural state was not always supported. I would often hear the “natural ain’t for everybody” phrase, which made me doubt my natural journey as well. Instead of listening to the negativity, I continued my natural hair journey and earned my beautiful curls. Miriam embraced her complexion and Afro, she performed on stage without makeup; this gestu re is a sign of great confidence. She used her God given talent to bring awareness to racial equality, an issue that is still at hand, happening in her native land. Miriam’s spirit is what WE need in this generation; WE need the unity, WE need the push! This matters so much because it all starts with US, the young generation of the black community. We need to show the world what we can be and not what they expect us to be. We need to show the world that we are striving for black excellence, that we are aiming above our highest